Comparison of serum triglyceride levels with propofol in long chain triglyceride and propofol in medium and long chain triglyceride after short term anesthesia in pediatric patients

Propofol at Single Bolus and Continuous Rate Infusion Significantly Increases Serum Triglycerides, but not Cholesterol, In Healthy Bitches Undergoing Elective Ovariohysterectomy

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a single bolus and continuous rate infusion (CRI) of 1% propofol on cholesterol and triglyceride levels of healthy bitches undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy. 10 healthy bitches undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy had blood samples obtained at baseline (T_B), 15 minutes following premedication with acepromazine and morphine (T_PM), after an intravenous bolus of propofol (induction to anesthesia, T_IND) and following 90 minutes of CRI of propofol started at 0.4 mg kg^-1 min^-1 and adjusted according to individual requirements (T_CRI). Data were initially tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and comparisons were performed using Friedman followed by Dunn post-hoc test. Serum cholesterol levels significantly decreased at T_IND and T_CRI (median [min-max] 201 mg dL^-1 [111-234 mg dL^-1], and 215 mg dL^-1 [111-239 mg dL^-1]), respectively, compared with T_B (232 [128-245 mg dL^-1]) and T_PM (206 [115-255 mg dL^-1]). No differences were found between T_IND and T_CRI. Triglyceride levels increased significantly at T_IND (120 [67-231 mg dL^-1]) and T_CRI (229 [73-549 mg dL^-1]) compared with T_PM (36 [51-29 mg dL^-1]), and T_CRI compared with T_B. In conclusion, 1% propofol lipid emulsion significantly increases serum triglycerides and causes lipemia in healthy dogs at a single bolus or CRI.

Adaptive Membrane Fluidity Modulation: A Feedback Regulated Homeostatic System Hiding in Plain Sight

The structure of the plasma membrane affects its function. Changes in membrane fluidity with concomitant effects on membrane protein activities and cellular communication often accompany the transition from a healthy to a diseased state. Although deliberate modulation of membrane fluidity with drugs has not been exploited to date, the latest data suggest the "druggability" of the membrane. Azelaic acid esters (azelates) modulate plasma membrane fluidity and exhibit a broad range of immunomodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Azelates represent a new class of drugs, membrane active immunomodulators (MAIMs), which use the entire plasma membrane as the target, altering the dynamics of an innate feedback regulated homeostatic system, adaptive membrane fluidity modulation (AMFM). A review of the literature data spanning >200 years supports the notion that molecules in the MAIMs category including known drugs do exert immunomodulatory effects that have been either neglected or dismissed as off-target effects.

The Incidence of Propofol-Induced Hypertriglyceridemia and Identification of Associated Risk Factors

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Objectives:

The objective of this study was to describe the incidence of propofol-induced hypertriglyceridemia and the risk factors associated with hypertriglyceridemia in mechanically ventilated ICU patients while receiving propofol.

Design:

This was a single-center case-control study.

Setting:

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a tertiary academic medical center in Boston, MA.

Subjects:

Adult ICU patients who received continuous infusion propofol for at least 24 hours from May 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, were included. Patients were excluded if they were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis upon admission or did not have any serum triglyceride levels evaluated during propofol administration.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

The major outcome was the incidence and risk factors associated with the development of propofol-induced hypertriglyceridemia, defined as triglyceride level greater than or equal to 400 mg/dL. Minor outcomes included the prevalence of acute pancreatitis. A hybrid multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relation between individual risk factors and the dependent variable of hypertriglyceridemia. During the study period, 552 patients were evaluated for inclusion, of which 136 were included in the final analysis. A total of 38 patients (27.9%) developed hypertriglyceridemia with a median time to hypertriglyceridemia of 47 hours. The only significant independent risk factor for development of hypertriglyceridemia identified was the cumulative propofol dose (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01–1.08; p = 0.016). Two of the 38 hypertriglyceridemia patients (5.3%) were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.

Conclusions:

In our analysis, approximately one third of patients developed hypertriglyceridemia with cumulative propofol dose identified as a significant predictor of the development of hypertriglyceridemia. Despite a high incidence of hypertriglyceridemia, a significant number of patients continued propofol therapy, and a relatively low prevalence of pancreatitis was observed. Future analyses are warranted to further investigate these results.

Propofol and Clevidipine-induced Hypertriglyceridemia

Hypertriglyceridemia and related pancreatitis due to the use of lipid emulsions such as propofol has been documented, but less is known about the additive adverse effects of propofol and clevidipine lipid emulsions in the literature. We report an unusual case, highlighting the trend of serum triglyceride and pancreatic enzymes (amylase/lipase) with the administration of propofol and clevidipine for a prolonged period in the neurocritical care setting. We present a case of a 27-year-old male who was admitted to the neuroscience intensive care unit (NSICU) for management of severe subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with six-millimeter (mm) midline shift to the left from the rupture of anterior communicating artery aneurysm. The patient was given propofol infusion to maintain sedation and manage intracranial pressures, and clevidipine was chosen over other antihypertensive class for blood pressure management secondary to renal impairment. To focus on the risk of hypertriglyceridemia and associated pancreatitis with the combined use of lipid emulsions we quantified the effect of lipid emulsions on serum triglycerides. We calculated the total calorie and fat content the patient received from the propofol and clevidipine along with the calorie intake from enteral nutrition (Fibersource® tube feed). The patient received a total propofol infusion of 44,391.2 milligrams (mg) over 16 days which accounts for 4,882.99 kilocalories (kcal) and 443.91 grams of fat. He received a total clevidipine infusion of 297 mg over the 48-hour period which contributes 594 kcal and 59.4 grams of fat. The required daily calorie intake through enteral nutrition of Fibresource® was titrated to a goal of 80 mL/hour which provided 2,304 kcal and 76.8 grams of fat each day. We also graphically depicted the rise in the serum triglyceride level after continuous infusion of propofol and clevidipine and subsequent improvement in the amylase and lipase level after the propofol was discontinued. Hence we conclude, careful and periodic monitoring of the serum triglyceride levels and limitation on the total calories from other fat sources such as enteral nutrition can help to mitigate the drug-induced effects.